Why register with multiple agencies?

Besides increasing your odds of getting a gig, there’s one very good reason to register with multiple staffing agencies: money.

Case in Point: Yesterday I received emails from two different agencies trying to fill the same spot. Namely, a full-time, three-week (that’s 120 billable hours) proofreading gig set to begin in a couple weeks. One agency offered $22/hour in a mass email. The other offered $27/hour in a targeted, personalized email. Assuming you work the estimated 120 hours, that’s a $600 difference.

Interestingly, the better offer was in the personalized email. I assume that the larger wage is partly due to my practice of keeping recruiters up-to-date about my ever-increasing skills (I send updated resumes every three to four months) and any changes in my availability. Some recruiters are more responsive to this than others, of course, but it never hurts to keep in regular contact.